


The Past is in the Past

by HelenBlossom



Series: The Keepers Chronicles [4]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Also Michael has two moms, I COULDN'T HELP IT, I'm sorry but I LIVE FOR TRANS JER, Multi, This is just a bunch of word vomit honestly, Trans Jeremy Heere, Trans Male Character, World Keeper AU, that's a thing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-18 10:50:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11872803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelenBlossom/pseuds/HelenBlossom
Summary: Each Keeper has a story.-A collection of small drabbles and notes regarding major events in each character's life, leading up to junior year.





	The Past is in the Past

Michael first found out about his role as a Keeper when he was four, the summer before he started kindergarten. To be fair, he didn't quite understand his impact on the world at the time, so it was a vague memory.

He had been spending time outside on the first official day of summer, the sun bright and warm. As a toddler, he loved to play outside and seemed to be drawn to the daylight; no matter how long he stayed in the sunlight, he never sweat or grew irritated.

There was a mark on his hand which he found pretty in the shape a sun. However, it startled him when one day, while playing in the front garden, his mark began to glow gold and red.

Little Michael instantly ran into the house to show his Nanay, both of whom were in the middle of cooking lunch. 

"Nay! Nay!"  
He ran into the kitchen with wide eyes, stumbling to a halt beside his mother.

His Nanay glanced at her son as she turned off the stove's heat, smiling.  
"What is it, Micah?"

"My hand is glowing! Why's it glowing?"  
He asked quizzically, showing her his hand, which she gently took between her own and knelt down beside him.

"That's because you're a very special boy, Nak."  
She said gently as Michael listened with a mildly confused expression.  
"The sun chose you."

"Me?"  
He murmured, eyes shining.  
"But what did the sun choose me for?"

She cupped Michael's cheek with one hand and warm eyes.  
"The sun has chosen you as a Keeper. Only a few, very special people are chosen."

"What's a Keeper, Nanay?"  
Michael chirped, his mother's hand slowly leaving his cheek.

"I'll tell you after lunch, okay Micah?"  
She replied softly as she stood up and ruffled his hair.   
"We have a book to show you."

-

There was a family reunion a few weeks later.

Michael had sat, sandwiched between his Mama and his Nanay, picking at his food. There was a friendly, if not wild, chatter surrounding him, but he could feel his relatives glance at his right hand every once in a while; the hand which bore his Keeper mark.

He had excused himself to the bathroom, closing the door and fiddling with the lock, failing to properly lock the door when he started to hear shouting.

It was growing louder quickly, and Michael sat on the toilet with the lid down, knees drawn to his chest as he covered his ears. It was the first time he had really heard such a big, loud argument. His mothers rarely had arguments, and if they did, it was usually tame enough to call a bickering.

His ears were ringing as he heard the scraping of chairs and footsteps echoing from downstairs, before a slam of the front door. Michael was shaking, pulling his sleeves over his hands and balling them into fists. Despite his attempts to block out the noise, he still snatched words from the argument. The clearest one, burning in his mind; Keeper.

The next thing Michael registered was footsteps coming quickly up the stairs and the bathroom door opening. He was bundled into his Mama's arms as she rocked him, walking to his bedroom and pressing his head against her shoulder as she walked down the corridor. There were hushed murmurs creeping from under the floorboards as Mama tucked him into bed, pressing a kiss to his forehead.  
"Dinner's a bit longer than expected. It's time for bed for you, okay?"

"..Okay."  
He replied, burrowing under the covers as his mother brushed hair out of his face and slowly left the room.

He fell asleep to furious whispers, growing in volume but never possible to decipher.

-

He was an outcast when he started kindergarten. He wore a red hoodie that was three sizes too big, covering his hands and subsequently, his Keeper mark. After hearing the argument, he was scared that showing it off would make people hate him.

There was a girl in his class that he wished he had the courage to talk to. Rebeka. She had short wispy hair and bright eyes, plus she seemed nice.

Instead, he continued to stay in his little corner of the classroom.

-

Rebeka approached him instead, at recess.

She didn't seem to be really fitting in with the others, and noticed that Michael seemed lonely, so she came to play with him.  
"W-we could sit under the slide, i-if you want? It's too hot for me."  
She suggested with a small smile, tugging at her long sleeves, which stopped at the tips of her fingers. 

Michael agreed with a soft yet bright smile.  
"That sounds cool. My name's Michael."

"I'm Rebeka!"  
She replied with a shy grin, taking Michael's right hand in her left and starting to walk towards the slide.

Michael froze when he realised she was holding his marked hand, which caused Rebeka to glance back at him.  
"What's wrong?"

Her eyes landed on their linked hands and she gasped, eyes brightening.  
"You're a Keeper too?"  
She asked in a hushed tone. Michael, not expecting that reaction, looked down at their hands. He realised that her sleeves had been hiding a cresent moon mark, which was now glowing a gentle blue and silver to match his red and gold sun. 

Michael felt a little less confused and alone about the concept of Keepers.

-

It was not until high school that they started to meet other Keepers. They first bumped into Rich and Jake during freshman year in the corridor. Rebeka and Jake bumped into each other, brushing passing fingers which triggered their marks. 

But Rebeka wasn't Rebeka. He was Jeremy.

Jeremy had broken the news to Michael sometime during eighth grade and Michael had been nothing but supportive. At least, he hoped he was. 

-

He got Jeremy a galaxy print binder for his 15th birthday.

"It matches your personality and your Keeper mark." He had joked with a smile.

Jeremy grinned and hugged Michael in response.  
"You nerd."

-

Michael had been able to somehow meet the previous Sun Keeper when he was 15.

He was on a rare vacation with his mothers, cruising around a gift shop with his hoodie tied around his waist due to the heat of the area. A young girl of six suddenly ran up to him with wide eyes and pointed at his right hand.  
"Are you a Keeper?"

Michael smiled at the child, grabbing a keychain to inspect. It was custom between Michael and Jeremy to buy the other a souvernier when they went on holiday.  
"Yeah, I guess I am."

The girl beamed and disappeared around the corner, reappearing with a dark skinned woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties, a warm smile on her face.  
"Mom! He's the new Sun Keeper!"

The woman chuckled lightly.  
"Yes, Saffie. So he is."

Michael furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before catching sight of the woman's left hand. There was a thin red outline of the sun Keeper mark, nothing else. Keepers stopped aging at 21 until they were replaced and Michael was 15.  
"Are you the previous Sun Keeper, miss?"

"That I am, young man. Mary."  
She replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes seemed weary, older and wiser than the rest of her appearance.  
"It's nice to meet you..."

"Michael. It's nice to meet you too, Mary."  
He replied politely, glancing at the other keychains on display.  
"You have a lovely daughter."

"Saffron is a free spirit."  
She sighed, the child bouncing down the aisle to look at postcards. Mary nodded at Michael's hand.  
"It's nice to settle down now that the mark's been passed on."

"You didn't have any children before Saffron?"  
He asked despite himself. It was said that most Keepers tried to maintain normal family lives during their extended lifetime.

"No, no, I had two. But I could only bare so much before deciding to stop."  
Mary replied, hesitating as if choosing her words carefully.  
"It takes a strong soul to be able to raise children, knowing that you'll see them die one day. I could only handle two, and my partner agreed. Another Keeper, of course."

Michael nodded, pausing in thought. The fact that he had extended life never really sunk in, despite all these years.  
"Which Keeper, if you don't mind me asking?"

Mary chuckled breathlessly, a small smile gracing her face.  
"The Moon Keeper. The Sun and Moon Keepers always seem to have a connection with one another, so it seems, whether romantically or otherwise. There always seems to be some similarity between the different generations of Keepers. Have you met your Moon yet?"

Michael returned the smile, distant for a moment.  
"Yeah. Yeah, I have."


End file.
